Boston, MA (Sports Network) - Marco Belinelli's turnaround jumper with 3.1
seconds remaining in overtime lifted the Chicago Bulls to a 100-99 victory
over the Boston Celtics in a nail-biter at TD Garden.

Richard Hamilton scored 20 points and Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah each
posted double-doubles to help the Bulls notch their third consecutive win and
fifth straight triumph on the road, where the club improved to an Eastern
Conference-best 12-5 on the season.

"It was a dog fight. It's one of those games that was a war from the
beginning. It was kind of a like a rollercoaster ride. We're just happy that
we made the last shot," Hamilton said.

Rajon Rondo racked up a season-best 30 points along with seven assists in
leading Boston back from an eight-point deficit early in the fourth quarter,
before fouling out with 1:16 to go in the extra session.

Kevin Garnett added 16 points and Jared Sullinger pulled down 15 rebounds for
the Celtics, losers of two straight following a season-high six-game win
streak.

"I didn't think we played very well. I didn't think we played very smart. We
hung in there, which is a good sign. We made a lot of little mistakes and they
won the game. They did make some unbelievable shots," Boston head coach Doc
Rivers said.

Boston trailed 70-62 in the initial stages of the fourth quarter, but put
forth a 12-4 run in which Garnett netted six points to draw even at 74-74 with
seven minutes left in regulation. Rondo gave the Celtics their first lead of
the night at the 4:37 mark after making 1-of-2 foul shots, and the game
remained nip-and-tuck over the final stages of the fourth quarter.

Rondo's jumper with 36.6 seconds on the fourth-quarter clock snapped an 84-84
tie, and the Celtics maintained a two-point edge until Chicago's Kirk Hinrich
knocked down a clutch 15-footer with just two seconds showing to force OT.

Neither team was ahead by more than three points in the extra frame, with
Chicago clinging to a 98-95 lead with under a minute left. Paul Pierce then
buried two free throws and Jason Terry connected with 12.5 seconds remaining
to put Boston up by one.

The Bulls had one last chance following a timeout, and Belinelli came through
by taking a Boozer feed and dribbling near the foul line before sinking an
off-balance shot for the eventual game-winner. Boston's Courtney Lee misfired
on a 3-point try at the buzzer.

Chicago built a double-digit lead midway through the first quarter, using a
7-0 run and some cold shooting by the Celtics early on to claim a 17-7
advantage. Boston, which hit on just 7-of-20 field goal tries during the
opening period, countered with a 14-4 spurt to close the gap to 21-19 near the
conclusion of the frame, and tied the score shortly afterward when Lee
drove the lane and scored to forge a 23-23 deadlock two minutes into the
second quarter.

The Bulls would regain control before the end of the half, however. A Jimmy
Butler 3-pointer ignited a 10-2 stretch that put Chicago up 36-27 nearing the
six-minute mark of the second quarter, and the Bulls stayed in front before
entering the break owning a 45-39 edge behind a 13-point, 9-rebound effort
from Boozer.

Chicago maintained a slim lead throughout the third quarter, though the
Celtics trimmed the deficit to two on several occasions, but showed signs of
pulling away when Nate Robinson canned a jumper to start the fourth that made
it a 70-62 game in the Bulls' favor.

Game Notes

The Celtics played without guard Avery Bradley due to a rib injury he
sustained in Wednesday's loss to New Orleans ... Luol Deng, Chicago's leading
scorer, was held to a season-low three points on 1-of-6 shooting while playing
just 27 minutes because of a hamstring strain ... Boozer notched his East-
leading 22nd double-double of the season and is averaging 23.4 points and 11.8
rebounds in January ... Pierce went just 5-of-17 in finishing with 13 points,
but passed former Celtic Robert Parish for 22nd place on the NBA's all-time
scoring list. He now has 23,340 career points ... The Celtics were just 3-
of-14 from 3-point range after going 4-of-18 from that distance against the
Hornets on Wednesday.